Critically endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~ 50

around fifty fluent speakers remains in Macao, mostly females againg over 50; also some semispeakers and passive learners

DOMAINS OF USE

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS

TRANSMISSION

MORE ON VITALITY

revitalization since 2007 through cultural activities such as food, song, music, dance and sport

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

Cantonese; Portuguese; Mandarin; English

LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS

Cantonese as the local language in Macao and Hong Kong; Mandarin and Portuguese as the official languages of Macao; English being diglossic high in Macao and Hong Kong; some ethnic immigrants in Portugal; A majority of overseas ethnic Patuá living in US and Canada.

Scripts (Writing system)

Latin scripts

More on Orthography

well-documented: two dictionaries (Senna Fernandes & Baxter 2001; Alan Baxter 2004) and some other studies; has its written literature and song lyrics since 1950

PLACES

China; Portugal; US; Canada

LOCATION DESCRIPTION

overseas ethnic Patuá in US, Canada and Portugal; native speakers found mainly in Macao (China), with a few in Hong Kong (China)

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

50

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

<50

Native speakers worldwide

Ethnic population

>10,000

OLDER ADULTS

<50

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS

TRANSMISSION

LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS

Now the object of folkloristic interest among the remaining community; formerly also spoken by the Catholic Portuguese creole community in Hong Kong. For centuries of Portuguese rule, there was continuous decreolisation towards Portuguese. Speakers also use Cantonese Chinese, which is the source of substantial lexical material; there is also Malay and Indian lexicon reflecting the connection with Kristang and other Portuguese Creoles further west.

PLACES

China

LOCATION DESCRIPTION

Macao

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Over 10,000 members of this group, but only about 5,000 remain in Macao since its return to China in 1999.

around fifty fluent speakers remains in Macao, mostly females againg over 50; also some semispeakers and passive learners

all domains

Cantonese; Portuguese; Mandarin; English

Cantonese as the local language in Macao and Hong Kong; Mandarin and Portuguese as the official languages of Macao; English being diglossic high in Macao and Hong Kong; some ethnic immigrants in Portugal; A majority of overseas ethnic Patuá living in US and Canada.

all

Critically Endangered (100 percent certain, based on the evidence available)

15

revitalization since 2007 through cultural activities such as food, song, music, dance and sport

15

15

China; Portugal; US; Canada

overseas ethnic Patuá in US, Canada and Portugal; native speakers found mainly in Macao (China), with a few in Hong Kong (China)

Now the object of folkloristic interest among the remaining community; formerly also spoken by the Catholic Portuguese creole community in Hong Kong. For centuries of Portuguese rule, there was continuous decreolisation towards Portuguese. Speakers also use Cantonese Chinese, which is the source of substantial lexical material; there is also Malay and Indian lexicon reflecting the connection with Kristang and other Portuguese Creoles further west.

Critically Endangered (80 percent certain, based on the evidence available)

15

15

Over 10,000 members of this group, but only about 5,000 remain in Macao since its return to China in 1999.